Former Coronation Street and Hollyoaks star Adam Rickitt has been granted an indefinite restraining order against an obsessed stalker who told him he fantasised about raping a child. The 47-year-old actor and singer, who runs a pub in Knutsford, Cheshire, had barred Ron Kleihues and called police over the threat, but was hounded with letters and messages during a year-long terror campaign.
Threatening Letters and Messages
In one letter, Kleihues, 52, wrote: 'If you persist in preventing me from entering your establishment, I will dismantle all that you stand for.' Another incident saw Mr Rickitt, who played Nick Tilsley in Corrie and Kyle Kelly in Hollyoaks, forced to put Kleihues in a headlock when he arrived at the bar uninvited and menaced staff – one of whom he became fixated with, 'declaring his love' for her.
The star also made safety arrangements for himself and his wife, former Good Morning Britain presenter Katy, after fearing Kleihues would ambush and stab them in the street. Mr Rickitt had to go on anti-anxiety medication, and said he would have 'convulsions during the night from stress'.
Court Testimony
Speaking in court, he said: 'My big fear was not doing enough and that a child was going to get raped because I had not managed to get him stopped. I asked if he had raped a child and he replied: 'No' but said 'the demons' were keeping him awake at night. It was going through my head every day and I felt incredibly guilty that a child was at risk.'
'I had a general sense that he was obviously dissolved mentally. My fear was also that he would attack us. I would not let my wife walk home alone and I was scared for the staff.'
Legal Outcome
At Crewe magistrates court, Kleihues, from Knutsford, Cheshire was issued with an indefinite restraining order which prohibits him from contacting Mr Rickitt and his wife and three other named victims of his harassment. He was also sentenced to a 12-month community order with a requirement that he attends 30 days of rehabilitation activity, fined £180 and made to pay £472 in costs and surcharge.
Kleihues had denied harassment but changed his plea to guilty during his trial. He will face a further hearing in June to determine whether he will be made subject of a stalking protection order.
Background of Harassment
Mr Rickitt, who runs the Dexter and Jones bar in Knutsford with Katy, was contacted in 2024 by Kleihues, who was working at the nearby Legh Arms. 'I thought he was going to ask for a job but he asked if I was hacking his telephone and emails,' he said. 'I said 'I am not, that is stupid' and he left but then a few months later he again asked to meet with me and one of our regulars and also a number of staff.'
'I assumed that it was for the same stupid reason but although I agreed to have the meeting I had a bad feeling about it. I found him quite odd and I did record the whole conversation. I said, 'please tell me it is not about the stupid hacking thing' but we went into an hour and a half conversation where he confessed to watching child porn and fantasising about raping a child.'
'He said he had not done anything to a child but he was finding it harder and harder not to. I contacted 999 and explained he was not welcome at Dexter and Jones anymore and that he should seek help. I started to speak about how his mother could help but he became aggressive and threatening. He said I should not mention his mother's name.'
Fixation on Staff
The court heard that despite being barred and being spoken to by police, Kleihues insisted on turning up uninvited at Mr Rickitt's pub and became fixated with barmaid Eve Nolan and a male member of staff. The actor added: 'He started declaring his love for Eve and said it was my fault for holding him back. He was in love and all he wanted was a chance of happiness but said it was me denying it. He said: 'If I keep holding it back, things would go badly for me.''
One letter Kleihues wrote to Mr Rickitt said: 'Every time I get close to someone someone steps in to say one thing or another the opportunity of partnership is taken away. Dexter and Jones has shown me that I can gradually make many friends and I do believe I can find love there too. I am somewhat smitten by her and in my personal calculation, she still owes me a walk. If my observations are incorrect, that makes me a romantic fool but how you move on from here is up to you. A walk is just a walk.'
But in email replies to Kleihues, Mr Rickitt said: 'Do not contact Eve. Please seek help. You are upsetting a lot of people. I am sorry that you are not well. You are really scaring them. You need help to be safe. I strongly suggest that you seek it. Please do not contact the team. Please stay away. I am genuinely sorry that you are going through stuff. It is unfair to make other people scared to live their life.'
Continued Harassment
A recording of one of their conversations was played to the court in which Mr Rickitt told Kleihues: 'I am bothered about your mental well being and what you need to do is get some professional help. I cannot help you. I am not a medical professional. You need proper help. I am not saying that to be derogatory or mean – you deserve proper help.'
He added: 'Why are you doing this to us? What have we ever done to you mate, honestly? You are just being really mean to us for no reason. It's not funny Ron. You are being scary to those people. There are 67 million people in the country, why are you fixated on those two or three people? As I say please stay away from the bar and seek some proper help. Can you please do that? I am not being horrible, please stay away from the bar.'
Mr Rickitt said that on Christmas Day when the bar was closed he and his wife Katy had gone there for a celebratory drink as part of an annual ritual to reflect on their year – only to find a letter for them written in stencils.
'He would stop me in the street, post letters to me in the bar and contact the other bar owners in the town,' Mr Rickitt said. 'There were multiple very bizarre and threatening messages on Facebook where he would rant and then delete it the next day but very much targeted at me. We did try to reach out to his family but were told in no uncertain terms to butt out.'
'I ended up having to go on anti-anxiety medication. My physical well being was down and I had convulsions during the night from stress. My wife and I had arguments and I became very scared for my staff. I was always trying to make them comfortable by not letting on how worried I was and I used to say it is me they are coming after. But my concern was that he would attack either myself or one of the staff members. It would not be a case of face to face confrontation. It would be running behind you and stabbing you.'
Impact on Staff
Telling the court that he and his wife can't have children, Mr Rickitt told the court: 'Our staff are our children. We have given deposits for their houses. These are not just members of staff. They are our family.'
One of the bar staff told the court: 'I was really scared for a while, especially when the letters and things and texts kept coming in, that I would not be safe working on my own. I am just lucky that work started to put other people on shifts with me so that I would not be alone. But every time I got a text I did not know if it was going to be him. I got nervous that he would turn up.'
The court heard Kleihues emailed Mr Rickitt saying he had been arrested by police but bragged it was a 'waste of taxpayers money' and that it was 'farcical and comical.' When the actor again suggested he seek help, Kleihues retorted: 'I am totally fine'.
Sentencing
Sentencing Kleihues, JP Susan Taylor told him: 'You cannot contact the complainants by any means, Facebook, any other social media platform, by letter, by text, by email or by a third person. You cannot send messages by someone else. So there is no way whatsoever that you can contact those people. The rehabilitative activity with the probation service is designed to help you – it is not a punishment.'
